Follow My Footprints To know the Truth
by FunahoMisaki
Summary: When Carmen faked her death she left behind two separate messages for ACME and VILE. Or...rather a message for Zack and Ivy and then a warning for VILE. Now Zack and Ivy are trying to solve the clues Carmen left to her 'greatest caper' while also figure out what the Chief was supposed to tell them about the elusive thief, whereas the VILE agents are shocked at the news. AU OOC T
1. Chapter 1

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and what if there was a reason that Carmen always made sure that Zack and Ivy weren't hurt? What if there was a reason for her soft spot for the two, one that was hidden from them for their own protection? What happens when they begin to piece it together? AU OOC)**

"Zack…Ivy…if you're both hearing this then as I said earlier I'm either in jail in which case you won't know the truth…or I'm dead and you know now. I'm _so_ sorry you two. I never meant for you to find out like this. I…I hope the Chief let you know _why_ I did what I did and I hope you both understand. I…I can understand if you're both mad at me or don't understand it. I probably deserve your anger actually. But I promise you both I _was_ there!" The prerecorded message Carmen had left attached to her file was staring at them both with something they'd never thought they'd see in Carmen's eyes. It was affection, care, worry, sadness, anger, and a slight bit of hope. And it was all aimed at the two of them. Why? And what was the Chief supposed to tell them?

"Every school thing, every training session, every important part of your lives whether you remember it or not I was there I promise you both that! I hate that I had to do this all to you both, hate that I couldn't be there for you both the way I should have been but I promise I still _love you both_. I never stopped." Carmen had to pause there to wipe the tears from her eyes as she gave a soft smile to the camera. The two teens were stunned. They had never heard of or seen Carmen cry before. And why would she have been there for every important part of their lives?

"The Chief should have told you as soon as I died, if I'm just put in a jail cell then…you probably don't know yet but you're both smart. You're just like your mother after all, or at least that's what the Chief keeps telling me whenever I ask about you two which is at least once a day. I…I'm not really sure why I recorded all of this if I know I might just be in jail instead of dead because…if I am in jail I have a feeling you both are going to be asking some pretty awkward questions of me soon that I'm not sure I know how to answer. Not without putting you both in more danger…" Carmen said choking slightly on her words now as she gave the two teens a watery smile.

"If I'm dead though…well…the Chief should have told you like we agreed upon and hopefully…most likely none of my enemies will ever figure it out and you two will be safe. That's all I want is you both to be safe. I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry you both had to find out about this if I'm dead. I'm so sorry." Carmen broke down in sobs apologizing to the two who were staring at her shocked and sad and confused but felt themselves tearing up as well. They didn't know why but they had always felt a connection to Carmen and they had so much fun chasing her. She was always a smart, strong, confidant woman who led them all over the world and made sure they never got seriously hurt even if it _had_ almost made the thief get caught more than once.

Seeing the kind thief sobbing like this made them both want to cry and help her somehow.

"I need to go now before I completely break down but I'm so sorry I had to do this to you two. I never wanted to, please believe me when I say that. And if nothing else then please…know and believe one thing is the absolute truth." Carmen tried to regain her composure as she wiped at her eyes roughly. Carmen looked at the camera, seeming to look straight at the two siblings, with such care and, dare they say it but… _love_ , that the two almost instinctively reached out for her before remembering that this was just a pre-recorded message and that Carmen was… She was _gone_.

"I love the both of you with _all_ of my heart, you're the only good things that ever happened to me…and I never have and never will stop loving you two even from beyond the grave." Carmen said her voice soft and gentle, even motherly, but still very firm. This was obviously the complete and utter truth and it left the two detectives closed to tears and confused and shocked. Carmen loved them both _so much_ and yet they _didn't know why_.

"Goodbye Ivory, Zachary. I love you." Carmen said one last time making Ivy's eyes widen as the thief's video closed.

"How? How did she know my real name? That's not even on my drivers license or ACME ID!" Ivy asked her voice cracking hard as she stared shocked at the screen. The only people who knew that name was Zack and their parents!

 **Just a little while earlier with the V.I.L.E. henchmen**

"There was one last part of Carmen's will that she _specified_ I said slowly and clearly to everyone." Lee Ga Lize, Carmen's lawyer, said clearing his throat as he remembered something just before he signed off.

"She must have had a bad feeling that something like this would happen because she added this less than a year ago. She looked real strange about it when she did so and actually threatened to beat me within an inch of my life if I made any mention of this to anyone else before her demise." Lee said paling a bit and making the henchmen gathered gape. _Carmen_ actually threatened someone like that? She hated brute force though!

"In the event of my death, while the leadership of V.I.L.E. goes to whoever solves the puzzles… any money, properties, inventions, and other artifacts that I have left behind that belong solely to me do not go to _any_ V.I.L.E. operative. The aforementioned things go to my two children. I shall not say who they are in case one of you decides to 'eliminate the competition' as it were but there is one last rule for all of V.I.L.E. that will be upheld _forcibly_ if need be, a last request with punishment if denied you could say. Any V.I.L.E. employee who harms either of my children will be stripped of any right to inherit leadership, be detained by the ones enforcing this, and then handed over to whichever country has the strictest punishments for the list of crimes that will be handed over upon moment of arrest… and remember I knew of _all_ of your crimes. Harm my children and V.I.L.E. will be the least of your worries." Lee read this off in a much slower, easier to understand manner than he had the rest of the will.

"That was all. Now have a good day and if not, consider suing." Lee said signing off as the henchmen stared at the screen in complete and utter shock.

Sara was the one to breath out what _most_ of them were thinking.

"Carmen had kids?"

Al's words were very blunt and uncensored and earned him a beating from Dara and a less than happy Hannah as he voiced what the rest were thinking.

"You mean someone _actually_ tamed the hard ass bitch enough to knock her up _more than once_?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"So you two are just as clueless as us about Carmen's children?" Sara asked as they escorted her to the officers waiting after they retrieved her from the moon.

"Children? Carmen had children?" Zack asked shocked as he stared at the scientist who looked at them both surprised.

"You two didn't know either then." Sara said earning a twin shake of the head from the two although Ivy's eyes began to narrow a bit as a bunch of clues began to fit into place. She needed to have a talk with mom and dad.

"God for them to lose their mother like this…do they know about what happened?" Zack asked running a hand through his hair and looking frazzled. He and Ivy had buried themselves in their work to try and ignore what had happened but it wasn't working. They just succeeded in putting off what they knew for a while. They were just coping… _badly_ , if the worried look that Sara had given them when they got back to earth and removed their helmets was any indication.

"No one is sure. None of VILE even knew Carmen had kids, or if they did then those morons are better at acting than I thought they could be." Sara said shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders as the police officers moved her towards the car waiting.

"If you find her kids…make sure you're gentle with telling them what happened. Carmen seemed…very protective of them in her will. She threatened to use brute force on her lawyer if he spilled any information about them before her death, and apparently any VILE henchman or woman who hurts her kids will be detained by someone Carmen knew before being sent to the country with the strictest punishments for their crimes." Sara said making the two looked surprised at that.

"That _does_ explain why she seems to protect any of the younger detectives that chase her. Her motherly side comes out to play. We'll…we'll try to find them professor." Zack said swallowing thickly as he thought about having to tell someone about their mother's death.

"You two look after yourselves too okay? It doesn't look like you're coping too well if the bags under your eyes and the look of your sisters fists are anything to go by. You're just kids yourselves…I'm sorry you had to deal with this." Sara said sighing as she gave the two another worried look before she was put into the car and it began to drive off.

"Do we really look that bad that even Professor Bellum is worried about us?" Zack turning to look at his sister who was frowning in thought as she walked over to an ACME computer for a moment.

"You look like you either have a pair of black eyes or haven't slept in three days. I probably don't look much better." Ivy said without even looking at her brother as she activated the privacy protocols and began typing on the computer.

"Hey Chief what's Ivy looking up that she doesn't want me to see?" Zack asked frowning at his sister's back before gazing up at the AI who would have shrugged if he could.

"I don't know Zack, she somehow managed to activate the protocols that keep me out of the screen and history feed of what she's looking up as well. As long as she doesn't look up anything confidential or above her clearance level then I'm not sure." Chief said looking just as confused as Zack did.

"That's…That's why…" Ivy whispered quietly to herself as her shoulders began shaking slightly.

"Ives?" Zack asked looking at his sister alarmed. She had been fighting back tears ever since they had heard the news and seen the message Carmen had left them. She had remained strong for her little brother but right now with the way her shoulders were shaking she was either laughing, angry, or crying.

"…You'll find out later Zack. I'm fine." Ivy said disengaging the privacy protocols and standing up, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Are you sure Ivy? I haven't seen you cry ever since mom and dad died four years ago." Zack asked looking worried for his sister. She almost never cried. She _always_ remained the strong one for him. He broke down and cried and didn't sleep well for several days at the least. Ivy buried herself in making sure her brother was okay, her work, and beating the crap out of a gym bag.

He cried. She took care of him and beat things up.

"I'm fine." Ivy whispered trying to convince him as much as herself as she turned around, pasting a practiced smile on her face to put her brother at ease.

"Grieving is natural Ives…but I think I know of a way we can say goodbye. A…a closure thing you know?" Zack said making Ivy look at him for a moment before nodding.

"We'll go to where the…where she was…we'll go there and place a rose. A red one. Red seems to be her favorite color and red means remember doesn't it? It'd be her favorite color and we'd be telling her that we'll always remember her. How could we ever forget? After all she led us all over the globe and even through time!" Zack said trying to cheer his sister up and fight back his own tears as well as he remembered some of the fun times he had trying to chase the elusive thief.

"You can even sing a song for her Ivy. You're a great singer and I'd think she'd have liked to have heard you sing, well as long as she wasn't stealing your talent." Zack said and he was rambling a bit now as tears built up further in his own eyes.

"Zack…" Ivy trailed off as she stared at her brother, her eyes softening as he kept rambling of different things that Carmen might have liked.

"I just…I don't want her to be forgotten." Zack finally calmed down a little as his sister hugged him close.

"She won't be little brother. We'll make sure of it. Now come on. Let's go buy a rose and I'll even let you pick which song I sing okay?" Ivy said gently making Zack nod slowly as the two of them walked over to a C-5 that Ivy called up.

"Oh wait there was something I was supposed to tell them!" Chief said recalling something as he looked at the two vanishing in the corridor.

"Oh man. If Carmen wasn't gone she'd _delete_ me for not telling them as soon as the news broke." The Chief fretted worried as he stared at the closing portal.

Carmen really would have deleted him for burying himself in grief and not upholding his end of their bargain.

"This is going to crush them both when they get back."


	3. Chapter 3

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Goodbye Carmen I hope you've found some peace." Ivy said softly as she placed the rose on the grave after singing the song her brother had chosen. Lost in Paradise, a fitting if not kind of depressing song.

"Huh? Look up?" Zack asked looking at the note that was attached to the pigeon that landed on his shoulder. The pigeon stole the rose that had just been laid down and flew upwards landing right on the shoulder of-

"Carmen!" The two detectives shouted shocked at seeing her alive but unexplainably happy. Carmen frowned for a brief second before she smiled.

"I'm truly touched you two. I guess you understand why I did what I did then. I'm sorry that the Chief had to tell you about it in those circumstances…but I'm glad to know that you both are my successors and that you really care." Carmen said smiling softly down at the two and causing Zack to look confused.

"The Chief? He…hasn't told us anything. When the news broke…well…he kind of went down as well. He only got back to normal a little less than an hour ago after we got back from going to the moon with the C-5." Zack said looking confused and making Carmen frown as she stared down at them both.

"So you still don't know then…" Carmen said sighing and looking a bit upset about this.

"I know." Ivy said her voice soft but firm as she stared up at Carmen who looked surprised.

"You do?" Carmen asked surprised and wondering how the red head knew.

"I know the gist of it at least. I figured it out myself after Sara said that you had children after we arrested her. A bunch of little pieces fit together in my mind when she said that and even more began to fit into the puzzle the longer I thought about it and thought back to when I was younger." Ivy said making Carmen's eyes widen as she slowly stepped forward before jumping down to be on the same level as them…well…at least not on a higher part of the mountain.

"When you were younger?" Carmen prodded gently while Zack was looking between the two confused.

"I have vague memories of before Zack was born. I'm almost exactly three years older than him and most human brains start remembering things at the age of three to four. The strange thing was…I don't remember seeing mom pregnant at all or showing any signs of pregnancy during that time." Ivy said seriously while Zack looked alarmed.

"Ivy? Are you saying that mom wasn't really my mom?" Zack asked his voice soft and confused and alarmed.

"No Zack she was our mom. She raised us as her own even though neither of us were born to her. She was our adoptive mom, but still our mom." Ivy said her eyes turning soft as she looked at her little brother.

"Neither of us?" Zack asked looking confused and more shocked at that and earning a nod from Ivy who looked back at Carmen.

"Yes neither of us were born to them. Most parents have a video or pictures of their children being born or just after their child is born. Mom and dad didn't have pictures like that or a video for your birth or mine. Our baby pictures start at around two months old, not birth like most do. That means that either they didn't have a camera on them at the time either of us were born and for near two months afterwards…which is very unlikely and nigh impossible…or that we weren't born to them or at least not to mom." Ivy said making Zack relax a little at hearing that his sister is still…well…his sister. She would have been anyways, blood didn't mean squat to the blond boy, but it was nice to know he wouldn't suddenly have some new boy or girl claiming to be his sibling.

"Not only that but none of the pictures up to the time before we would have been born show mom having any sign or symptom of pregnancy which would mean she didn't have one. Besides that there's even pictures of mom and dad on the _days_ we were born and yet no sign of us. After I figured that out is when I started trying to dig into my childhood memories." Ivy said and her gaze locked onto Carmen who was staring at her with a mix of hope and caution in her eyes.

"I was little and playing with a set of blocks when there was a knocking on the door. Mom opened the door and a tall lady came in. Mom and dad both hugged her and then introduced me to her. They said she was my second mom, my _real_ mama, and that I was going to have a baby brother or sister soon." Ivy said making Carmen's eyes widen at that as had Zacks.

"I can remember spending a lot of time with mama while mom and dad were at work for the next while. I loved hearing her sing or play the piano or read to me, I even read to my baby brother inside her tummy. I spent a lot of time with my ear pressed to her stomach trying to listen for my baby brother, and when she got further along I would always feel for the baby to kick and talk to my little brother through her belly. She would always smile and ruffle my hair and remark that I'd be a good big sister when my brother got there." Ivy said her eyes far away as she looked at nothing and everything all at once.

"One day she left and she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Mom and dad wouldn't tell me anything, only that I'd meet my baby brother soon. Two months later the woman came back. Mama came back and she had a baby in her arms and her belly was back to normal. She looked tired and sad but she smiled when she kneeled down to show me my baby brother. She looked happy watching me poke you Zack and then she told me your name. I couldn't say it right however so I just stuck with Zack. She was crying after that though. Mama was crying as she hugged me and you both and then gave you to mom and dad. Mama kissed me on the forehead and told me she loved me one last time before she disappeared." Ivy said frowning and looking upset at that.

"I didn't understand why she left when she looked so happy when with us, but mom and dad told me bad people would hurt them, me, and my baby brother if they knew we were mama's kids. That's part of the reason why I started fighting. I figured if I got strong enough then mama wouldn't be scared of the bad people and would come back and be happy with everyone." Ivy said making Carmen's eyes widen and glitter with tears.

"I remember seeing mama a few times though, but I never got close enough to hug her or talk to her again because she was always hiding in the back. She was always nearby but far away at the same time. Then I couldn't find her anymore, even though I knew she was there. I could always tell when she was there cause I could feel someone watching me but I still felt safe." Ivy said making Zack's eyes widen.

"Back when we were little and I said I felt like someone was watching me and you would smile but look sad?" Zack asked making Ivy nod slightly at him.

"Mama was making sure we were okay. Then one day when you were about four or five, mom and dad broke down crying after a phone call. They didn't want to worry you because you had a very high fever, but they told me that something bad happened to mama. The bad people caught up to her and she couldn't come near us anymore or they'd get us too. Mom and dad said that we'd never see mama again cause she was really badly hurt and couldn't come visit to check on us in the shadows. They promised to tell me when I turned fifteen what our mothers name was… _is_...but…" Ivy trailed off looking pained and making Zack wince.

"The fire." Zack whispered making Carmen's head jerk over to stare at him.

"Fire? What fire?" Carmen asked her eyes widening and her face paling.

"Our mom and dad died when I was fourteen and Zack was barely ten. The house had caught on fire, the police wouldn't tell me why after the fact. Said I was too young and wouldn't understand. When I first started working at ACME shortly after that I looked it up in my spare time, turned out it was arson and I still don't know why. The fire happened in the middle of the night, I remember waking up because it was getting really hot and hard to breath. My room was on fire. I ran to Zack's room and woke him up. Mom and dad were yelling at us to get out and run but I couldn't see them, the smoke was too thick. I pushed Zack to the floor, the doors had been blocked probably by the arsonist. I took one of the chairs from the kitchen and broke a window. I made sure Zack got out first but went back for mom and dad because they were screaming." Ivy said her eyes glazing over as she remembered that night. The worst night of her life.

"Mom and dad were…mom had already stopped screaming by the time I got there and dad followed soon after. I got there in time to see them both on fire and not moving or screaming or anything. I ran. I ran back to the window and had to make sure Zack was okay. I had to keep him safe. I moved to get out of the window myself…" Ivy trailed off at that point shaking her head. Carmen had tears going down her cheeks now.

"Ivy was hit with a collapsed burning beam. It nailed her right across the back and pinned her to the ground. I remember hearing her scream before it cut off all of a sudden. By that time the firefighters and police arrived and three of them had to go in and get Ivy. They said if they had waited another moment or two then it would have been too late. As it was they barely cleared the doorway with Ivy carried between them before the house collapsed behind them with a shower of flames and wood and embers and a lot of smoke. Ivy couldn't lay on her back for almost two years without the burns hurting, and it took a _lot_ of physical therapy before she could begin using her martial arts again. ACME contacted us while Ivy was in the hospital recovering. The Chief said that he wanted to hire Ivy as a detective, tracking down criminals and things like that. Said that if she took the job he could get the government to approve of an apartment for us and that Ivy and I wouldn't be put into the foster system or an orphanage and separated." Zack finished quietly as his own memories flashed through his eyes, hearing his sister scream, seeing her limp body being carried out of the house that collapsed behind her and the firefighters.

"Turns out mom and dad had worked for ACME for years and we never knew. The Chief had most of the pictures and other things like that from their house backed up onto their computers and his own hard-drive, he printed out plenty of copies for us to replace the ones we lost. That's how I was able to look at the pictures and check them for any sign of mom being pregnant with us." Ivy said shaking her head and then looking at Carmen who was staring at them both shocked, horrified, devastated, and she was crying again.

"Oh don't cry. Please don't it's not your fault." Ivy said her voice sad as she reached forward to wipe away Carmen's tears.

"Of course it's my fault! They were killed because of me and I didn't even know! I never heard of any of this! The Chief promised to keep me up to date with the four of you and yet he never told me about the fire or anything!" Carmen said looking like she was devastated and angry at the same time.

"It wasn't your fault Carmen. I mean what could you have had to do with our parents murder? You're not that kind of criminal. Sure you steal lots of famous stuff and troll the hell out of the police but you're no killer." Zack said moving to comfort the woman in red as well while she looked upset still…well upset was an understatement.

"Besides why would the Chief have promised to keep you up to date on mom, dad, and us? I know you mentioned always being there for the important moments in our life in your message but…" Zack trailed off when Ivy touched his shoulder and looked at him.

"Isn't it obvious by now Zack? I laid out all the pieces for you to solve at least the outline of the puzzle." Ivy said gently even as she approached Carmen slowly.

"Huh the puzzle?" Zack tried to think of what his sister could be talking about, although his brain was still kind of stuck on the fact that his mom wasn't his birth mom and he had no memories of seeing his real mama but she had always been nearby until a year before the fire.

"Carmen…I know the truth, or at least the basics of it. Not only did all of the other pieces line up perfectly…but in your files…it shows that two times while you were an ACME detective you took nearly a year's leave of absence. You were also hospitalized for a week straight but your folder didn't say why despite all the other times you were hospitalized showing what it was for on the record. The dates matched up and the other pieces in the puzzle did as well." Ivy said softly as she stepped closer to the woman.

"You were hospitalized on January 30th and for a week afterwards… in the year 1977. Then you were hospitalized again on February 12th and for a weak afterwards in the year 1980." Ivy said making Zack jerk slightly.

"Our birthdays?" Zack asked looking at Ivy who nodded her head.

"Yes. It's my belief that those two hospital trips are when she had the children that Sara told us about. Normally I wouldn't think much of it if just one date was the same…but for both of her children to be born on the exact same day and year as we were born? That's a bit too much of a coincidence to ignore…and then add that into the other pieces…" Ivy trailed off while Zack's eyes widened as everything clicked into place.

Zack stared at Carmen in disbelief as the crying woman slowly nodded her head, a strained but rather happy smile on her face.

"Carmen's our mother."


	4. Chapter 4

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Yes I am." Carmen said softly even though it wasn't really necessary to voice it, she felt like she had to.

"Ivory Maria Sandiego, that's the name you were born with. January 30th 9:23 pm. Zachary Lucias Sandiego, that's your full name Zack, February 12th at 4:46 am." Carmen said quietly as she tried to wipe away her tears as she stared at her two children.

"We don't blame you for giving us away to mom and dad…mama." Ivy said softly as she stepped closer to Carmen who looked at her.

"Even before you were a world famous thief, you were one of if not the best detective in ACME. You had dozens of enemies that wouldn't hesitate to attack children to hurt you…you loved us enough to give us up for our own safety." Ivy said her voice gentle as she stepped up in front of her mother who stared at her.

"I wanted to be there for you both as I should have been…but I knew you'd be safe and happy with Elisabeth. She and I were at the orphanage together and joined ACME together. I knew she and her husband would take good care of you both, especially since she couldn't have kids of her own. I swear I didn't know they had died. If I had known I would have been by your sides in a heartbeat." Carmen said looking at Ivy and begging her to see the truth in her words.

"I know you would have. You looked after us from afar when we were born until I was about seven years old, that's when you vanished. The fire happened five years after that, if you had known…I know you would have dropped everything to make sure we were okay. You've been doing it since day one that I started chasing you a year ago." Ivy said making Carmen smile slightly.

"I figured you two would be detectives like I was, like Elisabeth and Markus were…I knew from the moment I saw you in Mexico on your first attempt at capturing me that you were mine, and when I saw Zack's first try at catching me in France I knew he was mine too and not because you kept calling him your brother. I could recognize you two anywhere." Carmen said smiling and earning a small embarrassed scowl from Ivy.

"I hate how you managed to evade me after I chased you from Mexico to New Orleans still." Ivy said making Carmen laugh a bit, which had Zack staring between the two females with a small grin.

"You have the same laugh Ivy does." Zack pointed out making Carmen and Ivy both look at each other before they just smiled and Ivy shrugged.

"Well…I had to get it from somewhere." Ivy said shrugging a bit while Carmen smiled wider.

"So what did you do to Ives in New Orleans? She refused to tell me." Zack asked his mother eagerly and making Ivy blush brightly in embarrassment while Carmen laughed again.

"I'll tell you when you're older Zack." Carmen said slowly reaching out and gently ruffling Zack's hair, near beaming when he leaned into her touch.

"That's what Ivy said when I asked her why that girl was on her knees in front of some guy on that one show before she turned off the TV." Zack said pouting and making Carmen and Ivy look at each other, Ivy giving a helpless shrug while Carmen blushed slightly.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Carmen said again and making Zack pout more.

"So how is my hair blond and Ivy's red? Why don't we have brown hair like yours?" Zack asked changing the subject, much to Ivy and Carmen's relief.

"Well you actually get your blond hair from your father, whereas Ivy gets her red hair from me. My hair started turning just as red as yours when I was about ten, the nuns at the orphanage thought it was 'the devil trying to influence me with fire' and kept dying my hair back to brown to 'keep the devil's influence at bay'. It became a habit to keep my hair brown after a few years of that." Carmen said running a hand through her curly hair as she recalled that.

"Not to mention that if I didn't keep it short a lot of the time, my hair would be curly like yours is." Ivy said making Carmen smile at her and nod, Ivy had very curly hair as a child after all.

"You two are near perfect mixes of me and your father. Zack has his hair and my eyes, Ivy has my natural hair and his eyes. You both take more after him in skin tone than me however." Carmen said smiling fondly at her two children although she looked a bit sad as well.

"Who is our father anyways?" Zack asked curiously and making Carmen wince a bit.

"He was a great man Zack, the only man I loved…we couldn't see each other much because of our work but we loved each other more than enough to make up for that. Sometimes we went a whole year without seeing each other because we were so busy…other times we could spend months together. I would have married him in a heartbeat if he asked but he seemed to always shy away slightly at the thought of marriage." Carmen said looking sad but happy too. She still loved him, but…she couldn't be with him at all. Not by choice.

"Did he…did he love us too?" Zack asked shyly, making Carmen look very upset at that. Ivy frowned at how upset she looked at the question.

"I…Zack…when I found out I was pregnant with Ivy…I was barely twenty years old. I panicked and went to Elisabeth who suggested that I let her raise my child. Before I agreed I talked to Max, that's your fathers name by the way, and…I asked him what he thought about us having a family of our own. He point blank told me he wasn't ready to be a father. I didn't tell him I was pregnant. I had to have only been about two months along so I wasn't showing yet and there had been a virus going around so he thought nothing of my morning sickness other than that I might be catching the virus." Carmen began, looking down at the rose that she was twirling idly in her hand. She didn't want to have to tell them this, but she had to let them know what kind of man their father was before they tried to find him on their own. She didn't want them to be hurt by who or rather what they found.

"That was one of the times where it we both were busy, although I had to only do light missions since I was pregnant. The Chief, Elisabeth even Marcus refused to let me do anything difficult in the slightest, especially not on my own and Suhara was practically glued to my hip with a crossbow in one hand and his katana in the other in case anyone dangerous got too close. I might have been an orphan by the time I was two…but you both were brought into a very loving family. Suhara was like my father which makes him your grandfather, the Chief acted like a cross between a dad and that fun uncle, Elisabeth was my sister and Marcus my brother in law but they raised you as your parents and I'll forever be grateful to them for that. Even before either of you were born we were all so very protective, the Chief even sent one poor rookie back to retraining for nearly hitting me with a cart full of evidence." Carmen said with a slightly amused chuckle as she thought back to that, then her smile faded.

"He didn't know of Ivy. After he said he wasn't ready for children…I couldn't tell him. When I found out I was pregnant with you Zack…I was so very happy. I had a full family, in my mind at least, parent like figures…siblings…a loving man I'd be happy to call my husband…a beautiful little girl who I got to see whenever I wanted back then…and soon I'd have what I'd find out was a bouncing baby boy to round things up. When I was younger at the orphanage I'd always think about my future and try to plan out what my family would be like. Every time I always wanted at least one daughter and one son, but if I had ended up with more than one of each well…I wouldn't have complained or minded…except for when I was pushing you out at least." Carmen said dryly at the end making Ivy snort while Zack blushed as he recalled learning where babies come from. God he hadn't been able to look at his sister or mom for more than a month without blushing because of that stupid sex ed lesson!

"I…didn't think to ask if he was ready for children then. We were older and seemed even closer than before, or so I thought. I figured he'd be ready for us to have a baby he knew of…and I could introduce him to Ivy. I figured that me and him together would be able to protect you two from any of our enemies…I…I never imagined he'd become one of my enemies." Carmen gave a sad sigh as she twirled the rose a little more, seeing how the light bits of snow had melted into water and were spinning off of the rose as she twirled it.

"I told him I was pregnant. I was so happy that it took me a minute to realize that…he didn't look happy. I asked him what was wrong? Why wasn't he happy? He told me he didn't want kids. Said he never wanted kids of his own." Carmen said frowning deeply as she stared at the rose instead of looking at her two silent children who were staring at her as she spoke.

"He wanted me to get rid of it. He wanted me to get rid of my unborn son…He wanted me to get rid of you Zack." Carmen said glancing up at her son who looked wide eyed, shocked, and a bit horrified at this. Ivy's arms immediately shot out and wrapped around her brother protectively as she scanned the area as if searching for this Max man that wanted their mother to get rid of Zack.

"I refused point blank. I'd never get rid of my child, either of them. I could never do that to an innocent life, much less a little life I had helped to create. He…got violent." Carmen said looking away before rolling up the sleeve of her trench coat on her right arm.

"That's a stab mark." Ivy said softly as she stared at the scar that Carmen showed them on her arm, it looked like it had gone through and through.

"It is. He had grabbed a knife and told me that either I get rid of the baby or he would do it for me. I refused…I told him I refused to get rid of an innocent life and that our daughter would love a sibling. That's how he found out that he had already gotten me pregnant before and I didn't get rid of our daughter, our little Ivory. I thought telling him that we already had a daughter together would make him see that he could be a good father, that he could love having children of his own…I didn't expect him to actually try and stab me in the stomach. I reacted without thinking but I don't regret it. I took the knife straight through my arm, the tip broke off inside and I needed surgery to remove it but that was fine. The blade didn't go into my stomach so I was happy. My baby was safe and hadn't been hurt. That was all I cared about right then…but…for all of my mastery of fighting…I was scared. Not for me, no not at all…I was more scared for my then unborn baby. The man I loved, the father of my two children, had just tried to stab me in the stomach and kill our son." Carmen said tears beginning to fall down her cheeks again as she pulled her sleeve back down.

"I went to the Chief and Suhara first, made sure they knew to be on the alert for Max trying to get anywhere near Ivory, and had called Elisabeth and Marcus to warn them as well. Then I had gone to the hospital to get my arm fixed up as much as it could be at the time. After my arm was on the mend, that's when I went to stay with Marcus, Elisabeth, and Ivory. Max tried to get to us just once. I was seven months pregnant at the time, Ivory was asleep with her head on my lap because she had been reading you a story and it was past her nap time. He broke in through the window and tried to shoot me but he wasn't expecting me to have a knife in my hand at the time. I had been peeling an apple for Ivory's snack when she woke up and when he shot the couch cushion right next to her, I completely lost it." Carmen said grimacing slightly as she reached one hand out and ran it through Ivy's hair, the other reaching out for Zack.

"I don't remember what happened between seeing him nearly shoot Ivory and going into labor. I just know that when Suhara and Elisabeth and Marcus got there I was going into labor, Ivory was still fast asleep on the couch, and Max was pinned to the wall by his hand with the knife I had been holding working as the pin. He was beaten, bloody, and had more than a few broken bones but it was no less than what he deserved. He had tried to kill his own children, _my_ children…and he had tried to do it _right in front of me_. I'm strongly of the opinion that if I hadn't had gone into labor two and a half months early right then, I would have beaten him until he was dead in a berserker rage…and to be honest I doubt anyone would have blamed me or tried to arrest me for it." Carmen said scowling slightly before her face turned into a soft smile as she looked at her two children.

"After that I disowned him as the father of my children, he was sent to jail for life and I haven't visited him since. He…he didn't want you two or love you…and honestly I truly doubt he loved me either despite the fact that I loved him with almost all of my heart." Carmen said this part gently and making the two look down slightly at this but Ivy didn't look too bothered actually.

"So no, little hacker, he didn't love you…but you never had and never will need him. Elisabeth and Marcus loved you both with all of their hearts. Suhara sent me a message after your case with him saying that he loved his two adorable grandchildren and wants to spend more time with you two after you learn the truth. The Chief adores you both as well, and I love you both too. I love you more than you two could ever know." Carmen said softly as she looked at her children who looked surprised at the part about Suhara.

"We love you too mama." Ivy was the one to say as she stepped away from her brother a bit and almost hesitantly moved to hug Carmen. Carmen's eyes widened but her smile lit up the whole mountain as she hugged Ivy in an instant.

"Yeah who needs some guy with a lame name like Max anyways? Dad will always be dad to me and mom will always be mom, but I can definitely say that mama will always be mama, and I love you mama." Zack said shrugging slightly and burying the news about his father deep deep down to be thought about later in private. Right now he just joined in on the hug fest.

Carmen had tears in her eyes again but the smile on her face was nearly a mile wide and as radiant as the sun as she hugged both of her children back, dropping a kiss to both of their foreheads and making them blush but smile slightly.

"I love you both so much more than you'll ever know." Carmen whispered as she finally hugged her two children for the first time since they were children. She hasn't hugged Ivy since the girl was five, and Zack since he was three.

"We love you too mama…but we're still going to chase you if you keep stealing!" Zack said with a grin to break up the mushy atmosphere, making Ivy slam a palm into her forehead while Carmen looked surprised for a moment. Then she threw her head back and let out a hearty near hysterical laugh.

Her two children couldn't help but look at each other and laugh along at their mothers laughed out words.

"I wouldn't dream of you doing anything different! It's our family bonding activity after all!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Zack, Ivy there's something I need to tell you two. Something about Carmen." The Chief said looking sadly at the two detectives when they returned with small smiles on their faces.

"Don't worry Chief. Mama's alive." Ivy said grinning at the Chiefs whose jaw dropped open at this.

"What?! How did you know? And what do you mean she's alive! Wait hold on…I need to activate the cone of Silence." Chief said looking shocked as he looked at the two and then quickly activated the cone.

"First things first. You can't ever tell anyone else that Carmen is your mother. She has a lot of enemies both inside of ACME and especially outside of it." Chief said sternly to the two who blinked and frowned but nodded slowly.

"Second what do you mean she's alive? There's no way she could have survived that Avalanche?" Chief demanded as he looked at the two.

"Mama faked her death to find out who her successors to VILE would be. We…found out when we went to leave a rose on her grave…that's when she told us the truth." Zack said softly and making Ivy nod in agreement while the Chief seemed to pale somehow.

"Oh she is going to delete me for not telling you two as soon as the news of her 'death' broke. I was supposed to tell you and arrange for you to meet up with Suhara…" Chief said muttering a bit and making Ivy frown at him.

"She's also a bit upset that you never told her mom and dad died." Ivy said making the Chief begin to panic.

"Oh crap you're right! She really _will_ delete me for that!" The Chief began to freak out big time now.

"So we were going to go meet grandpa?" Zack asked tilting his head as he looked at the Chief to take his mind off of Carmen's likely rage at the Chief _forgetting_ to inform Carmen of that.

"Grandpa?" Chief asked distracted and questioning this term.

"Suhara. Mama said he was like her father and was going to be a grandfather to us…he's excited to meet us and spend time with us now that we know the truth." Ivy clarified, causing the Chief to blink before nodding.

"Yes sure. I'll open a C-5 to his place for you both." Chief said opening the C-5 to Suhara's apartment and watching as Zack dove through eagerly while Ivy followed at a more sedate pace although she was clearly excited as well.

As soon as the C-5 closed and the Cone of Silence dropped…there was a voice heard behind the hologram of the Chief. A voice whose coldly stated words had a shiver going down the Chief's hard drives.

"Now that the children are away visiting their grandfather…let's talk about you disregarding my wishes and forgetting to tell me about Elisabeth and Marcus shall we Chief?" Carmen was standing right behind the Chief and she was not amused.

"Mommy!"

"Sorry but I'm not _your_ mother."

 **With Zack and Ivy**

"Suhara!" Ivy said smiling as she saw the old man waiting for them with a sad smile on his face.

"Hello detectives." Suhara said smiling sadly at the two as he stepped forward to give them both hugs.

"Don't be sad grandpa! Mama faked her death to see who was worthy of leading VILE. She's still alive and well." Zack said hugging the man back with a big grin on his face.

"Probably scaring the data-bits out of Chief for him never telling her that mom and dad died years ago…but she's still alive and well. We just left her at ACME." Ivy said grinning as well and making Zack blink.

"We did?" Zack asked confused making Ivy roll her eyes and flick him on the forehead.

"It's called situational awareness little bro. Remind me to teach it to you later." Ivy said dryly while Suhara looked at them both for a long minute before he smiled widely.

"I am glad to hear that she is alright and that you both know anyways. Now come sit. I will make us some tea. You can tell me about your pasts and recent capers while I can share stories of what happened while you were younger and share stories about your mother." Suhara said ushering the two of them to his couch and moving to the kitchen.

"Thank you." Ivy said with a professional Japanese bow to the old man.

"Thanks gramps!" Zack said a lot less professionally, earning a roll of the eyes from his sister and a laugh from Suhara.

"Where did you learn to bow like that Ivory-chan? It was a flawless one." Suhara asked as he brought out the tea several moments later, sitting down between the siblings.

"Martial arts. My sensei's all taught the students to bow in respect to either their elders, their teachers, or their opponents." Ivy said smiling as she accepted the cup of tea that was poured for her.

"Yeah Ives is a huge fighting nerd. She has like six different black belts." Zack said with a snicker and earning a glare from his sister.

"Ten actually Zack. I finished earning my black belt in Muay Thai last week." Ivy said earning an impressed look from Suhara.

"Ten black belts already? You truly are your mothers daughter but perhaps pushing it a little too much. Carmen-chan did not earn her tenth black belt until she was twenty-four and you are but seventeen." Suhara said impressed and earning a sheepish smile from Ivy.

"Yeah I may have been trying a bit too hard…I just wanted to learn how to protect others, especially that trouble starter." Ivy said looking pointedly at her brother who gave a small grin.

"Hey I don't _start_ trouble. I just make it." Zack said with a grin and earning a laugh from Suhara at this.

"You take after your mother greatly as well. She often used that logic on me after 'making' some trouble, especially with the older agents during her rookie days." Suhara said amused and earning a wider grin from Zack.

"What was mama like as a rookie?" Ivy asked curiously.

"Oh she lost her temper a lot before I got to her, she would insult those who used brute force to get their way and if they tried that with her she would give them the humiliation of a life time with how easily she would outmaneuver them. Often worked on making the equipment at the office better, and often worked on being better in all areas. Smarter, faster, stronger, harder to keep down…she would work on all of that, coming off as a pure workaholic and anti-social. Until she finally realized that there were people who did genuinely care for her. That was when she got so attached that it was hard to tell she had ever been starved for affection and love." Suhara said his eyes far away as he spoke about the past.

Looking at the two kids on either side of him, Suhara smiled a bit.

"Carmen-chan loves the chase, the adrenaline, the thrill…she loves the challenge…but she loves you two more and always has. When she found out she was pregnant with Ivory-chan she was so young. Honestly she was not ready to become a mother herself and she knew this…but she was trying her hardest and hid you with Marcus-kun and Elisabeth-chan for your own safety. She was dead set against being off of active duty once she told the office about her pregnancy and yet…as soon as we began pointing out how dangerous it would be for her unborn child…she backed down immediately and let us all protect her and her child. She was bored out of her mind…scared out of her wits…and yet undeniably joyous at becoming a mother." Suhara said smiling at the red head who grinned slightly at this.

"Zack-kun was a little…different. Mostly due to the fact that Carmen-chan had not even realized she was pregnant until she was already three months along. She had ran dangerous cases in those first three months but it was after she put a particularly nasty adversary in jail that she realized she was pregnant. When I saw her after she learned that she was scared out of her wits, angrier than I had ever seen her, and sadder than I ever saw her. She was also bleeding. Your father had tried to stab her in the stomach when she told him about you being on the way Zack-kun and about Ivory-chan's existence. She shielded her belly with her arm and still had the knife in it when she came to see the Chief and I. She was so torn up on the fact that the man she loved tried to kill their children…her children…and yet she pulled through and was so strong for both of your sakes…and her own. Her pregnancy with Zack-kun was a little harder than it was with Ivory-chan and she was often on bedrest. She hated that…but for her child she would do it." Suhara said with a nostalgic smile on his face as he looked in his tea cup without really seeing it.

Looking up at the two young adults on either side of him Suhara came back to the present and smiled at them both affectionately.

"You two are two of the very few good things that ever happened to your mother. She loves you both much more than you can ever know. She would gladly lie, steal…well okay that last one may not be so surprising, cheat, die and even kill for you both." Suhara said softly as he looked at the two who wiped a few tears from their eyes.

"We love mama too. We don't want anyone to ever hurt her again. Anyone who tries will find out _just_ how dangerous some of my inventions can become." Zack said with a dark protective look in his eyes. No one was going to hurt his mama on his watch!

"Agreed. And if they think I'll fight them honorably if they try hurting mama…well…let's just say I know a lot of _dirty_ tricks and I'm not afraid to use them." Ivy said with a dark smile on her face as her eyes flashed darkly as well.

Suhara looked sharply at Ivy at the dark twisted smile on her face at her next words. Zack didn't look surprised at all however.

Just what had the two gone through for Ivy to look like that and say that kind of thing so certainly?

He needed to bring this up with Carmen…immediately.

"And I don't mean dirty as in wash your hands dirty. I mean dirty as in blood soaked floors and walls dirty."


	6. Chapter 6

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Prepare to die!" The gladiator fighting Ivy snarled as he swiped his sword at Ivy when she went to check on him after throwing him to the dirt. The siblings had chased their mother into the future where they had been the ones labeled as criminals, and then to the past twice so far where they had been labeled as witches and then thrown into the gladiator fights.

"No!" Carmen's voice rang out horrified as Ivy's eyes widened and then her training kicked in. Ivy jumped back a bit and clapped her hands onto the sword, stopping it in its tracks as she held it by the blade with her bare hands.

"How the hell?" The gladiator was as shocked as the crowd as he looked at Ivy's blank eyes. The gladiator shivered at the sight of the blank, cold, emerald green eyes.

"You picked the wrong girl to try this on." Ivy said her voice a near monotone as she slammed her foot into the gladiator's stomach. The guy at least twice her size was sent flying into the gate holding the lion back hard enough to break the bars.

"The lion! The goddess of strength has to face the lion!" One man yelled wide eyed as the majestic beast entered the arena.

"Ivory!" Carmen screamed her daughters name in horror as the lion began circling the red head whose gaze never wavered from the beasts. Ivy didn't even reach for a weapon, she just continued circling with the beast as they stared each other down.

"The Goddess does not even look fearful!" One of the crowd whispered awestruck and earning nods from the other silent audience members.

"Think she is a true goddess and that is why she fears no beast?" One man asked as all eyes locked on the woman and beast who were still circling each other.

"If she is then I am a dead man for daring throw her and what seems to be her brother into the games." The merchant muttered as he paled at that thought.

"Ivy run!" Zack yelled at his sister from the gated entryway that wasn't broken.

"Zack do what you're best at! Fix that device and be a sneaky little mischief maker!" Ivy barked at her brother as she threw the necklace the merchant had thrown to her at her brother.

That was when the lion lunged at her.

"Ivy!" Two voices screamed as the lion pounced on there'd head who waited until the last minute before dropping to the floor. As soon as the lion was over her head, Ivy launched a kick upwards that sent the lion crashing to the ground behind her hard.

"I got this! Just do your jobs and leave the beast to me!" Ivy ordered her brother and mother as she noticed Carmen rip off a latex mask and move as if to enter the arena.

"Ivory!" Carmen said wide eyed and horrified as she moved to the edge of the walls. The lion lunged again and Ivy jumped up just in time to avoid the deadly claws, twisting her body in mid-air Ivy landed on the lions back and wrapped her arms around the beasts neck as if to strangle it.

"Woah there Simba!" Ivy said as the lion began trying to buck and swipe her off of its back.

A particularly hard swipe and buck combo had Ivy thrown off of the beasts back and to the ground. The lion jumped on top of the red head and moved as if to bite her head off, only it seemed to have frozen at the last second.

"I. Am. Not. _Prey_!" Ivy shouted her voice a bit deeper and warped as she lifted the lion up with her hands keeping the lions jaw from closing.

"RARGH!" The half feral scream from the seventeen year caused more than a few of the audience members to faint. The sight of the girl ripping the lion nearly clean in half had the rest of the audience paling or fainting.

"I am no one and nothing's prey." Ivy growled as the blood splattered and covered her, making her clothes and skin seem to match her hair.

"Ivy let's go! We still have a job to do!" Zack yelled to his sister, looking a bit pale but he was more worried than anything as the red head stamped her foot and gave out a roar of triumph… just in time for the coliseum to begin shaking.

"Are you both alright? I tried saving you both as much as I was able with my disguise, but I didn't expect the lion to get loose." Carmen asked as she saw her children standing beside her time-machine which was hit by the rubble of part of the wall. She didn't care about the time-machine though, she was too busy checking both of her children over for any wounds particularly Ivy.

"I'm fine. The most I have is a bruise from hitting the ground too hard and… maybe a few sore muscles." Ivy said rolling her shoulders a bit and stretching, not minding the blood still on her at all.

"Ivy didn't hurt me during our fake match. You just wanted to see us playing together didn't you?" Zack asked with a grin at Carmen who smiled as she pulled them both close protectively for a moment.

"That was my intent mainly yes, I also wanted to try and keep you two from being in any death fights." Carmen said hugging the two close before she stepped back a bit.

"I'll see you both back in our time. I love you kids." Carmen said smiling slightly as she kissed both of them on the forehead, not minding the blood still coating Ivy at all.

"Love you too mama!" The two said in unison with grins on their faces as they time traveled back to their own time, knowing that their mother would be there soon.

"Found a note from mama Ives!" Zack said as they searched the training facility they had found after getting back to the present, both of them giving their mother a ten minute head start just because they felt like it and Ivy needed to wash the blood off.

"Dear kids. Sorry I was a few minutes behind you but I needed to do something real fast. Found a passage of something I found humorous and thought I'd share it with you both. See you next crime kids. Love Carmen." Zack read the note while Ivy found the necklace the merchant had thrown her, there was also an old fashioned yo-yo for Zack.

"There are legends of two more gladiators said to be gods in disguise, one a goofy god of creativity with hair the color of gold and eyes of sapphire. The other a strong Goddess of battle who had hair the color of blood and eyes of jade who was able to rip a mighty lion that had slain countless men in two with her bare hands." Zack read the page that had been underneath the note and then snickered a bit.

"The merchant who had sent the two divine beings to the games had returned to his stall after the earthquake had struck thanks to the goddess and saw what he says was another goddess sitting waiting for him upon an empty table, his wares gone. This goddess had skin kissed by the sun, was taller than a giant, hair as dark as the night sky and eyes of sapphire. She wore a halo of blood and a long dress of blood and her lips were stained red with blood. She was most displeased with the merchant. She had taken his wares as punishment for him sending her children into the coliseum. The god and goddess that they had seen in the Games were the children of this blood clad Goddess and she was most displeased. The Goddess said her children were not ready for the combat of the Games and that she was most displeased her daughter had to be blooded so soon." Zack finished reading the page making Ivy whistle slightly.

"Mom was really upset at that man. She really doesn't know my record does she?" Ivy asked as she tied the necklace around her neck.

"Well your record and all that is like level twenty classified or something like that. So she probably couldn't even find out even if she hacked ACME directly." Zack said causing a low chuckle to be heard through the room.

Ivy gave her brother a gentle smack upside the head while he gave a sheepish grin and shrug. Seriously how was he to know that their mother was listening in?

"That sounds like a challenge son. And you know how much I enjoy a challenge."


	7. Chapter 7

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Ah Mr. Gazee. Just who I wanted to see." Carmen said noting the lawyers appearance at her base, and making the man pale and sweat a bit.

"Now if this is about reading your will when you weren't really dea-"

"Oh no nothing like that. You did exactly as I wished for you to do. No what I want to do now is change my will." Carmen said catching the attention of every operative in the room as she looked up at the man who relaxed a bit and took out a pen and paper to write down whatever Carmen wanted to say.

"Leadership of VILE as well as all of the things associated it with it, and my own effects and such of course, are to go to my two children. Naturally Ivory as the oldest will inherit it all first until her brother is of legal age to be able to help out, Zachary will inherit when he comes of age if I happen to die before he turns eighteen. If one of them wishes to lead VILE and the other doesn't then that will be between the two of them. If neither of them wish to lead VILE then they will test the minions still there at the time and select a suitable head of VILE in their place from the candidates." Carmen said making the minions around her look shocked and a few protested.

"Before any of you say a word that will end up getting you on my shit list…I sent the list of clues to my two children as well. They both managed to solve all three clues and beat out all of you. They _earned_ the right to lead VILE if the occasion should ever truly arise. Given that they're both on the other side of the law, neither of them will likely wish to inherit it at the moment however they are much like me. They will grow into the role." Carmen said glaring around the room and making everyone pale at the threat of being on Carmen's shit list. Not many were ever on it, because not many stayed on it long.

Most that ever got on the short list…ended up in… _accidents_.

"We're just surprised. We never knew you had children before your little test." Sara said quickly trying to keep someone from saying something stupid like Al had done the other day when they had first learned about the children.

"Two of them. One daughter, one son. My baby girl is seventeen, eighteen near the end of January and quite the fighter. I believe she has ten black-belts now, well...nine technically given that Muay Thai has no official belt system. Her teacher in the art just used a belt system to make it easier on his students." Carmen said with a small chuckle and a fond smile on her lips as she thought of her two children. Although she was a bit pissed that she had yet to get a chance to hack ACME enough to find her daughters prior mission files.

Something about her daughters file wasn't making sense and the way her daughter fought that lion and ripped it apart…Carmen needed to know what happened to her baby girl.

"My son is fourteen but will turn fifteen in February. He's not quite as physically active as his sister but his mind and his knack for electronics is nothing short of amazing given his age. He's able to keep up with _me_ in the art of hacking even if he's still someone insecure about his talents in the field." Carmen said her eyes soft and yet proud as she spoke about her children. It was obvious to everyone in the room that their boss loved her children very much and was very proud of them.

"How come we never met them then?" Hannah asked looking confused at this and making Carmen give a small chuckle.

"Actually you all have at least once. However they know not to advertise their parentage in case any of you get any bright ideas to try and…take your grievances with me out on them. Even if you all wouldn't, I have plenty of enemies from both my days as a Detective and my days as a Thief that would not hesitate to go after my children." Carmen said although her gaze froze them all as it turned dark and protective.

"Anyone of you that knowingly tries to hurt my children because of me…well…just because I don't like using brute force doesn't mean I'm incapable of it." Carmen said her voice as cold as ice as she glared them all down.

"Understood boss. Just let me know who tries so I know who my new test subjects will be. You might want to tell those detectives of yours about it though. They weren't coping well with your death and they were the ones that were going to try and find your children to tell them about what happened." Sara said making Carmen glance at her sharply at this.

"Zachary had bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for days, seems he hadn't stopped for any breaks after news of your demise broke. He was running mainly on fumes when they caught me. Ivy didn't look much better although she didn't have bags on her eyes, her knuckles however were torn open and bleeding as if she had been hitting something hard without wrapping her hands." Sara said noting the look her boss was giving her and making Carmen look a bit upset at hearing that.

"I'll have to have a talk with the two of them and check up on them whenever I see them again. My children already know that I'm alive. They went to leave me a rose on my 'grave' at the Himalayas and I couldn't let them grieve for nothing." Carmen said looking back down at the paperwork in front of her. Inwardly she making plans to meet her children after a heist and check to make sure they weren't coping badly with her 'death' and sudden 'resurrection' as it would seem to an outside. Sure she knew intellectually that her two kids knew she were alive and had no reason to still be having a coping mechanism…but…their ways of coping didn't sound healthy from what Sara described.

She wanted to make sure that when she really did die, her kids wouldn't end up self-destructing and joining her before they were old and gray.

"Carmen emergency! Big Emergency!" Chief shouted as he appeared in front of Carmen just after she finished signing her signature to the newly written up will, after making sure that Gazee didn't 'slip' anything in of course.

"For fuck's sake Chief! Don't scare me like that! You're going to give someone a heart attack one of these days doing that!" Carmen shouted nearly jerking a knife out from her sleeve at the sudden surprise appearance, one hand over her chest as she tried to calm her heartbeat. Thankfully she wasn't the only one since more than one person had jumped and screamed when the Chief suddenly materialized.

"Sorry but I have to tell you immediately! You'd really delete me this time if I didn't! Now move your butt and let's go!" Chief said opening a C-5 for Carmen who looked confused and alarmed.

"Slow down and calm down. Tell me what's wrong first and why I should go anywhere." Carmen said regaining her composure and trying to calm the Chief down enough to learn what was going on.

"I can't! Ivy was burnt really bad on her latest mission and she's in the hospital and-" The Chief was cut off as the information pierced Carmen's brain, her composure immediately being shot to all hell at the news.

More than one VILE agent covered their ears and yelped at the loud _screech_ from their boss, the ones who hadn't recoiled as violently being treated to the rare sight of pure _horror and panic_ on their bosses face.

"WHAT?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Are you alright? What happened?" Carmen demanded looking frantic as she rushed into Ivy's hospital room, having quickly changed into a sweater and pair of jeans to keep from standing out too much in her signature outfit.

"I'm fine mama! It's just some acid burns." Ivy said looking up and smiling at her mother from where she was laying stomach down on the bed.

" _Just_ some acid burns? Ivy that does not equate to you being fine!" Carmen said stepping up beside her daughter and checking the injuries with a fretting that the other agents in the room were stunned to see from the infamous thief. And did Ivy just call the woman…mama?

"Honestly I can't even feel them." Ivy tried to calm her mother down only for her brother to snort from where he was hovering protectively over the other side of her bed.

"That's because you have no sense of touch Ives." Zack pointed out to his sister making Carmens eyes widen horrified.

"What?! How did that happen?" Carmen demanded looking worried and horrified and outright panicked as she hovered over her daughters bedside.

"Third mission at ACME. Was near a bomb when it went off and lost my sense of touch." Ivy responded instantaneously and almost reflexively. As if she were used to being asked that question.

"What kind of mission did they send you on that requires you to be near a bomb?!" Carmen was outright frantic now, her eyes looking a bit wild as she paced beside her daughters bedside.

"You don't know about what kind of things Ivy was trained for, do you?" Jasmine asked frowning at Carmen who barely paid the other detectives in the room any attention.

"No! Every time I try to hack the data that's hidden in her files there's dozens of alarms and virus's tied in that I haven't been able to get around yet!" Carmen looked annoyed at that as she ran a hand through her hair.

"You could have just asked me." Ivy said dryly before forcing herself to sit up. An action that earned an immediate protest from everyone in the room.

"Don't you dare get up young lady!" Carmen snapped as she tried to gently push down her baby girl to lay on the bed without touching any of the horrid burns.

"Ivy your whole back is burnt up for the second time! Stay on the bed and rest! Just because you can't feel it doesn't mean it's not good!" Zack chastised his sister who rolled her eyes but stayed on the bed. If only to keep the two of them from panicking. She didn't want her mama to have a heart attack after all.

"It's not like it hurts." Ivy muttered sulkily as Carmen and Zack both hovered over either side of her.

"How did this happen?" Carmen asked softly as she finally sat down in the chair beside her daughters bed, looking at her daughter who looked up at her.

"Some freaking jerk had Jasmine held hostage. I was sent on a rescue mission. Guy had an acid trap to melt anyone who tried freeing his prisoner and bargaining chip. I managed to avoid the worst of it and get Jasmine out of there before going after the creep. He's in the intensive care unit now." Ivy said with a small shrug of her shoulders while Jasmine looked guilty that Ivy had gotten hurt because of her.

"Ivy didn't even realize she was hurt until we were back at ACME. Tatyanna saw her back and _screamed_ …honestly she reacted better than most of the others did." Jasmine said glancing at the Russian next to her who looked worried but was trying to hide it.

"Her back is raw and red and looks like most of the skin was melted. I had the right to scream, especially since it looked _worse_ before we got her to the hospital." Tatyanna said with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the red head on the bed.

"I'll be fine in like a week, two weeks tops. Don't worry about it." Ivy said rolling her eyes at everyone's fretting and panicking over the, to her, minor wound.

"Ivy there's no way possible that you could heal that fast naturally, especially not from something like this." Carmen said her voice soft and earning a snort from Ivy.

"Good thing I'm not normal then huh? The enhancements I got after the fire make it so that I heal faster than anyone else in the world, some kind of mixture of different animals regeneration and the healing properties of some plants and something about nano-tech. Honestly all of it was over my head then, and most of it is still over my head now." Ivy said with a wry smile on her face while Carmen tensed up, her face becoming like stone.

"Enhancements?" Carmen asked her voice completely flat and earning a nod from Ivy. Glancing up Carmen noticed that the others were surprised except for Zack who just looked upset.

"Yeah after the fire I was burnt badly and my spine had been damaged. I was going to die…but I refused to do that. I didn't want to leave Zack all alone, my baby brother still needed me." Ivy said her eyes boring into her mother who winced at this and her eyes widened in horror. Ivy's wounds had been bad enough to kill her?

"One of the head people at ACME offered me enhancements. Said it'd keep me from dying and if I took it and became their proto-type human weapon then they'd make sure nothing ever happened to Zack if something went wrong with the enhancements or my missions that were assigned after I got good enough handle over the enhancements and being able to move again." Ivy said without batting an eye.

"They turned you into a human weapon?" Carmen breathed out horror struck. This had happened to her daughter. This had happened to her beautiful baby girl because she hadn't been there! She should have been there! Why hadn't the Chief told her about this? Why had she never found out?

Ivy nodded her head and said one sentence that had the ACME agents shocked and awestruck, Carmen however broke down apologizing and crying.

"Proto-type enhanced Human: Weapon Model. Identifying code Beta Tester 243. Designation: Sif."


	9. Chapter 9

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"What in the world is she doing?" Carmen asked staring shocked as she looked at her daughter who was taking down Al Loy two weeks later during a caper. It wasn't even one of Carmen's capers, Al had gone off by himself to do something with metal and Carmen had come to make sure that he didn't get himself caught.

"Currently tossing him around like he's a rag doll. Seriously how can someone that scrawny be that strong?" Sara asked staring as well before Zack made his way over.

"I promise that she only has a few scars left from the acid. She refused to stay at HQ or home when there was a crime in progress." Zack said earning a look from Carmen that was equal parts horror and anger.

"Oh she is in so much trouble!" Carmen whispered angrily as she stormed over to the edge of the apparent 'safe area' where Ivy was not tossing Al around like a rag doll with glee.

"IVORY MARIA SANDIEGO!" Carmen yelled at the top of her voice, causing Ivy's head to whirl around to look at her. The nearly eighteen year old red head had the classic deer in the headlights look and somehow managed to work the 'hand in cookie jar' look in as well as Carmen jumped down to land in-between her daughter and her employee.

"Young lady what do you think you're doing?" Carmen demanded while Al froze at the sound of the name that Carmen had screamed and the fact that the detective he had been fighting had _answered to it._ Sara's jaw dropped open at the name that fell from Carmen's lips while Zack winced.

"Ouch. Full name." Zack said in sympathy, his sister used to pull his full first name out when she was really mad at him. He winced again when a less than happy Carmen slammed Al into the ground hard and glared him down before turning to glare at her daughter sternly.

"A light workout?" Ivy asked more than said as she ducked her head sheepishly under the stern look her mother was giving her.

"Al is literally three feet taller than you and at least a hundred and fifty pounds heavier. How is he a light workout?" Carmen demanded earning a snort from Ivy.

"I'm used to fighting people who have no problems bringing knives and guns to a fight or friends with knives and guns. Compared to those, he's a light weight." Ivy said with a shrug of her shoulders while Carmen looked upset.

"I don't care if you're considered the Goddess of War for ACME! Young lady you had most of your back _melted by acid_ two weeks ago! Get over here right this second and stop trying to strain yourself or I swear you will be grounded from now until you're thirty!" Carmen said looking a bit panicked at her daughter fighting and straining herself.

"But mama I'm fine!" Ivy said even though she made her way over to her mother who didn't look like she believed her.

"Let me see your back immediately! Are you bleeding or in pain at all?" Carmen asked forgetting for a brief moment that her had no sense of touch at all as she nearly ripped her daughters jacket off and pulled up the back of her tank top to check her baby's back.

"I don't feel a thing." Ivy said smirking a bit and earning a glare from her mother who was not amused.

"I don't know why there's only a large scar left but it's still fresh looking and can be reopened. If I catch you fighting anyone or doing what you consider a _workout_ I swear I will lock you up behind a steel door!" Carmen said after checking the angry red looking marks on her daughters back that were done in a way that almost resembled a tribal tattoo.

"As if that would stop me and I told you I'm a fast healer mama. I think your minions are having heart attacks though." Ivy said looking amused at the look on Sara's face as she gaped wordlessly at Carmen and Ivy as Ivy slipped her jacket back on.

"That's because they just realized that not only are you two my children, but that you are also the heirs of VILE. Which means if anything ever happens to me, they'll be working for you until your brother turns eighteen. Then they'll be working for both of you." Carmen said looking at Sara's shocked face and Al's pale one and snorting slightly. She had no doubt that between the two of them, this news would be all over base in no time flat.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. I won't let it." Ivy said her voice suddenly dead serious as she stared at her mother.

"I'm a world wanted criminal. I'm sure someone will take a shot at me one day and while my Hat and Coat are reinforced and lined with Kalvar…someone will get in a lucky shot eventually." Carmen said smiling sardonically and earning a heavy frown from her daughter.

"No. No one is going to shoot you, anyone who tries has to go through _me_ first and while I might not have reinforced clothes…I can take more than a dozen bullets at once and keep going strong." Ivy said her voice deeper and more protective as she stared down her mother, even though Carmen was still at least a foot and half taller than her.

"Zack still needs you…I might not show it a lot but _I_ still need you mama. No one is going to take you from us. Not ever again." Ivy said her voice no-nonsense while Carmen glanced over at her youngest who was staring between the two of them a bit worried and looking like he wanted to walk over and see what was going on…but wasn't sure if he should.

"You never _did_ tell us what you did to the Chief for never telling you about the experiment and my…job." Ivy said changing the subject and earning a small frown from Carmen but the older woman allowed it.

"Right now I'm collecting evidence and proof of all the upper brass's dirty deeds and getting the Chiefs… _help_ in doing so. When I really start going after them, there's going to be nothing left." Carmen said making Ivy snort, the next words out of her mouth earning a scowl from her mother.

"Good fucking riddance."

Carmen's response earned a laugh from Zack at the look on Ivy's face. No one had ever corrected her language since she became a human weapon.

"Do _not_ make me wash your mouth out with soap Ivory!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Carmen Sandiego Mama AU**

 **By: FunahoMisaki**

 **(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)**

"Are you both okay?" Carmen asked looking at her two children as they tried to stop her at the prison, trying to tell their mother about Maelstrom being alive.

"Mama we're trying to warn you that Maelstrom is-" Ivy was cut off and had to dodge when part of the ceiling fell close to where she was.

"Ivy!" Carmen cried worried before spotting the police coming and quickly getting out of dodge. She'd make sure her daughter wasn't injured later and then beat the hell out of whoever knocked that part of the ceiling loose.

"So that's them. Huh…"

"Don't worry. We'll meet them soon enough."

Ivy and Zack never noticed the two blond men watching them, one with blue eyes and the other with green. One planning to meet them to see how strong they were, the other planning to turn them to his side or kill them.

 **LINE BREAKING NEWS**

"Mom we're trying to tell you! You don't need to bury Maelstrom!" Ivy yelled to her mother on the boat later as she was about to send the long raft into the whirlpool.

"He's still ali-" A rough wave hit the side of the boat tossing Ivy and Zack into the other end and knocking Ivy's head against the railing hard enough to knock her out.

"Zack! Ivy!" Carmen cried out as she stopped the boat and moved as if to go to her children to check on them.

"You're not worthy to bury me." A man in a submarine said pulling up beside Carmen's boat with a flamethrower attached to him.

"Maelstrom? You're alive?" Carmen asked shocked as she stared at the man who had ultimately lead to her becoming a thief, albeit a non-violent one.

"I left you a clue in my cell but you were so caught up in your sentimentality that you missed it! I'm disappointed in you Carmen!" Maelstrom said starting up the flamethrower and lighting the longboat that Carmen had gotten someone to build for his 'funeral' on fire.

"NO!" Carmen screamed when she saw the boat catch on fire.

"My children are on there!" Carmen her eyes wide and frantic as she turned the wheel to go back to the longboat and grab her children.

"Let's see if they're half the survivor you are!" Maelstrom said launching a harpoon into Carmen's tank to keep her boat from moving too much or starting really.

"My babies!" Carmen cried as she moved as if to swim to the long boat if she had to.

"Don't worry so much Carmen. Maybe one of my grandchildren will be the successor to my legacy!" Maelstrom said with a dark laugh while Carmen didn't pay him much attention as her eyes scanned the longboat for any sign of her children.

"Doubt if they'll be any better of a successor than I am." A familiar, hauntingly so, voice said from next to Maelstrom.

"Max?" Carmen whispered as her head whipped around so that she could stare at the father of her children, the man she had once loved so blindly.

"Aw what's the matter Carmen? Didn't you miss me?" Max asked with a dark grin as he stared at the red clad thief who was staring at him shocked and horrified.

"Look son she's speechless!" Maelstrom said laughing at the look on Carmen's face as she stared at them wide eyed and her blood turning to ice within her veins.

"I guess she never expected to see me again huh dad?" Max asked while Carmen's throat went dry for a moment.

"Dad?" Carmen asked swallowing heavily as she stared at the man who had tried to kill her and her two children.

"What? Never put it together? Well I did use my mothers maiden name when I was with you." Max said staring at his former lover who was staring back at him in disbelief, shock, and horror.

"My real name is Maximillian Maelstrom! Congrats Carmen you slept with the son of your 'rival' who you put in jail! Not only that but you had two children with him, two children who bear the Maelstrom name if they're worthy enough of it!" Max said letting out a cackle as he stared at the horrified woman in front of him who suddenly felt so very dirty that she had ever let him, had _wanted_ him at one point to, touch her.

"Aw don't look so horrified. If these two don't survive then me and you can always try again and again until we have one that's perfect for taking over the family business. I know I was against us having kids at first…but your brains and skills plus my families' skills and ruthlessness. If the kid is trained right and raised right then it'll be the perfect weapon against any government agency! The perfect criminal!" Max said with a rather insane sounding cackle. Carmen looked disgusted and pissed at that information as she regained her composure.

"You are _not_ their father. You lost any and all rights when you demanded I abort Zack, and then nearly shot Ivy. I'd rather die than let you touch me ever again." Carmen hissed as she removed the harpoon from the tank and started the engine of her boat again.

"We'll see what you say when you're broken beyond all hope." Max said with a shrug before he and Maelstrom sunk back into their submarine and promptly dived back into the ocean as Carmen turned to go grab her children, hopefully before they were all pulled into the maelstrom.

A few minutes of getting both kids on the boat and then all three of them getting the hell out of dodge later and the three relaxed a bit.

"So that was our father?" Zack asked as he and the once again conscious Ivy sat on the boat leaning against the side of it.

"Unfortunately yes. Why wasn't his break out reported?" Carmen said wondering that last bit aloud as she frowned heavily at the sea in front of her.

Ivy was the one to growl out something that had her mother looking at her in alarm while Zack nodded in agreement.

Carmen didn't want her daughter to become a killer over that filth.

"I don't know and I don't care. If he comes near you or Zack he'll find out the hard way _why_ I was given the designation of a Norse Goddess with a Sword."


End file.
